Illuminated oil filler cap with indicator



vAT TO RNE YS DAVID P. yFLALNIGAN il'ed March EIB, 31964 fzzsheetslsheewz INVENTOR. DAVID P. FLANIGAN ATTORNEYS Y 3,187,714 ILLUIWINATED OL FELLER CAP WI'H INDlCA'OR David P. Flanigan, 2484 th St., Wyandotte, Mich. Filed Mar. 16, 1964', Ser. No. 352,260 12 Claims. (Cl. 116-133) This invention relates generally to a novel and improvedV oil filler cap, and more particularly to an illuminated oil lller cap provided with an indicator means.

It is well known that if a particular lubricating oil is used consistently in an automobile engine l.and in the proper amount, the engine will fare better and be troublef-ree throughout its useful life. The operators of automobiles, for examples, are careful to always use the same type of oil in the automobile engine. The automobile may, however, be driven sometimes by parties other than the owner and different types of oil may be inserted by such parties or by a gas station operator servicing the automobile. It is also well known that gasoline station operators sometimes accidentally spill loil on engines When oil is added through the oil iller pipe, which spillage causes smoke and fumes to be emitted from the engine hood when the engine is operated.

In view of the foregoing, it is an important object of the* present invention to provide a novel and improved oil `iiller cap which will assist the owner of an automobile to insure that only one type of -oil will be used in the engine of his automobile throughout the life of the same.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved oil tiller cap for an engine which is provided with an indicator means to insure that a gasoline station operator will be infomed of the particular type of oil used in the engine so that he will only put in .the desired type of oil when it is needed. This is especially helpful if the car is driven by someone other than the owner, and if he does not happen to know the type of oil used in the automobile. The information as -to the type of oil used in the engine is readily available to the gasoline station operator without the necessity of his checking with the driver of the automobile who may not know the type of oil used in the car.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved oil liller cap for an engine which isV provided with an indicator means and a light mounted below the indicator means to insure visibility of the -indicator means .and the opening into the oil liller pipe at night or at dusk so that the gasoline station operator may easily see the type of oil used in the automobile and the location .of the oil ller cap and the entrance to the oil filler pipe.

:It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved ller cap which is provided with a lower portion formed as a funnel to insure that the gasoline Vstation attendant will not spill oil over the engine Vwhen he has added oil thereto. The funnel shape permits the operator to add oil to the'engine in a quick and eicient manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide 'a novel and improvedoil filler cap which includes a detachableV iilter which may be quickly and easily replaced. The accessibility of Ithe flter encourages a gasoline station operator to clean the lter for the automobile owner more United States Patent O 3,187,714 Patented June 8, 1965 Vmessages to a gasoline station operator or to the owner lof the automobile that certain actions are lto be taken at certain times, as for example, that `the oil is to rbe changed when the next oil check shows that the oil level is down a .predetermined amount.

It is a fur-ther object of the present inventionto provide a novel and improved oil .filler cap which is economical of manufacture,V simple and compact in construction Vand etlicient in operation. i

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved oil liller cap which embodies a lower portion for attachment tothe oil liller pipe of an engine and which is yformed in the shape of a funnel, an indicator housing hingedly mounted on the vfunnel-shaped portion, a light mounted in the housing, an-indicator means operatively mounted'fin the housing, and a iilter detachably carried on the lower side of the hingedly mounted housing.

Gther objects, features and `advantages of this invention Vwill be apparent from the following detailed description,

appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

VIn the drawings: FIG. 1 :is an elevational, perspective View of an illus-trative embodiment of an illuminated, indicating oil tiller cap made-in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

LFIG.V 2 is a view similar to that of eFIG. `l, but showing the indicator housing and tilter being pivoted to an open position to permit oil to be poured into the funnel portion of the ll'er cap;

|FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of theV structure illustrated lin FIG. l, taken along the line 3-3 thereof and looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational View of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, with parts removed, taken along the line 4-4 Ithereof and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 isan exploded view of Ithe oil ller cap of the Y present invention and showing the various parts thereof lin a disassembled condition;

iFIG. 6 is a reduced bottom view of the filter illustrated in FIG. 5, taken along the line 6 6 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows; Y i

IFIG. 7 is an elevational sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, taken along the line 7-7 lthereof and looking in the direction of the arrows; and Y IFIG. 8 is an elevational, perspective view of a modiiied oil Ifiller cap made n accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Referring now to lthe drawings and in particular to IFIGS.

`1 and 2, wherein is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1d generally indicates the lfunnel portion of the liiller cap whichis formed in the shape of a funnel. The numerals 11 and 12 generally indicate a filter and an indicating means, respectively. The lower end of the tller cap funnel portion 10 is formed as a tube foil to an engine. rAs best seen in FIGS. 2 and 7, the upper rim Iof the'funnel portion 17 is provided with a recessed seat d8 on which is'seated the lower periphery of the Ltilter 1'1.

The funnel portion 10 functions as the mounting portion and'it may be made from any suitable material as, for

example, sheet metal or aluminum. This part mav be 'made by any suitable manufacturing process.

As best seen in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the ilterf 171 isrfor'rned as a cylindrical member having an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the lter seat 18. The

Viilter is-provided with the closed upper wall 19-and the Y gine through the filler pipe.

perforated bottom wall 2d. The bottom wall 20 is provided with a plurality of openings 21 to expose the filtering mateiral 22 to the fumes emitted from the en- Theltering material 22 may be of any suitable conventional type. The lilter side wall 23 is also provided with a plurality of openings 24 to expose the iltering material 22 to the atmosphere. As shown in FIGS. 1, and 6, the lteris provided with a pairrof retainer pins 25 and 26 for mounting the iilter in the indicator housing 12, as more fully explained hereinafter.

`The tilter walls 19, and 23may be made from any suitable material, as for example, a suitable light metal.

A iilter 11 may be made as a throw-away unit which` can be easily and quickly replaced after a predetermined n number of cleanings or a predeterminedftime period.

The retainer pins and 25 maybe formed by any suitable means as, for example, they may be punched `out of the ilter side wall 23. Because of the ease in mounting the ilter in its position on the indicator housing 12, the gasoline station operators will be encouraged to clean the ilter for the user more often than they normally would.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 through 5, the indicator means 12 includes a housing which isprovided with a side wall 'which is cylindrical in shape as indicated by the nulmay be quickly and easily mounted in place in the 1 lower end of the indicator housing by moving the retainer pins 25 and 26 upwardly into the verticalvleg of Athe L-shaped slot 28 kand then rotating the lilter clockwise a slight distance to move the pins into the horizontal portions of said L-shaped slot. It will be understood that any other suitable means may be Yused for detachably mounting the ilter 11 in the lowerl end of the housing 12. Y

The indicator means `12` ,is hingedly mounted on the funnel portion 1t) by means of the hinge arrn29 and the hinge 30. The lower end of the arm 29 is iixedly connected to the funnel portion 10 by any suitable means, as by spot welding.` One portion of the hinge means 30 is fastenedV to the upper end of the `arm 29 and the other portion of the hinge is operatively xed to the outer side ofthe wall 27 of the yindicator housing. The

indicator means 12 and lilter 11 are releasably mounted on the seat 18 and held in place thereon by means of the friction catch or lock means indicated by the numeral 31. The catch 31 is an elongated arm which is ixedly secured to the upper side of the funnel portion 10 by any suitable means, as by spot welding. The

. upper end of the catch is formed with a curved portion 32 which is adapted to be snapped over the projection 33 formed along the lower end of the housing wall 27 and at a point opposite the hinge 30. In order to swing the housing 12 and lter 11 to an vopen position, the user may grasp the upperend 34 of the arm 31 and spring it outwardly so as to detach the curved portion 32 from the projection 33. Y

As bestseen in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7, the indicator means includes the rotor 35 which is mounted in the upper end of the vindicator housing 27. The upperl end of the housing is enclosed by the top wall 36 which is depressed at the center portion, indicated Vby the numeral 37, to form a washer or bearing lmeans for the rotor 35. The depressed portion 37 is provided with a hole 38 throughwhich is mounted the rivet 39 which functions torotatably secure the rotor in place inthe upper 4end of the housing and in abutment with the inner face of the depressed portion 37. .The yrivet is provided with the head .40 on the lower :side thereof for retaining 4 the rotor in place. YAs best seen in FIG. 5, the rotor is provided with a centralhole 41 which the rivet passes through.

As shown in FIGS. l, 2, 4, 5 and 7, the indicator rotor 35 is exposed through the opening 42 which is formed as a triangularly shaped segment when viewed from the top of the filler cap, and which is formed partially in the top wall 35 and `in the indicator housing side wall Z7. As shown in FIG; 5, the rotork Y35 may be provided with any suitable message in the segments of the dial formed on the top side of the rotor.

.Y of the vehicle providedv with a filler cap of the present battery for lighting the bulb 45 at desired times.

invention may manually rotate `the rotor 35 to expose the desired message. A few of the segments may be left blank so that the owner may write in any further message he may desire. The rotor 35 4may be made Yfrom any suitablematerial which is adapted toy be written on. On the other hand, stickers may be used to convey the message. The stickers may be adhered to the upper surface of the rotor 35 by any suitable means. The pressure of the rivet on the lower side of the rotor will provider sufficient frictional contact'between ,the inner surface of the recessed portion 37 and therotor, yet permit the rotor to be adjusted to a desired position. The indicator housing wall 27`may be made from any Suitable material. It may also be made from any suitable plastic material which may be colored as desired, and which may be opaque. The retainer pins. 25 and 26 are formed so as Yto provide a tight sliding frictional tit between the pins and the L-shaped slots 28 to maintain the filter in position in the lower end of the housing when'it is swung to an open position.

As shown in FIG. .7, a light bulb housing or socket 43 is lixedly secured to the Vinside surface of the indicator housing wall 27 Vby any suitable means, as by the rivets 44. A light bulb 45 is detachably mounted in the light socket 43.' As shown in FIGS. l, 3 'and 5, the indicator housing wall 27 is provided with a pair of spaced apart light holes 46 for emitting light to aid a gasoline station operator in the dark to locate the oil iller cap. Itwould be understood that light would also be emitted from the rotor access opening 42. 1f the housing for the indicator is made froma plastic-material, light will also show through the plastic `to indicate the position of the oil filler cap.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light socket 43l would be connected to two conventional lead wires 47 and 48 for connecting a light to the battery. One of the wires as 48 maybe grounded. lThe other wire 47.V would be connected to a suitable switchto the other side of the For example, the lead wire 47 may beY connected by means of a suitable microswitch 49 to the positive side of the battery, and the ymicroswitch 49 may be actuated by the action of the opening of the doorofthe vehicle or the opening of the engine hood of the vehicle. The wire 47 could also be connected to thel vehicle dome light circuit or to the taillight circuit. The microswitch 49 could be mounted onthe-engine body in a position to be moved to the closed position or inoperative position when the hoodis shut, and to the operative or open position when the hood is raised.

It will be seen that the light 45 provides a means Vwhereby the gasoline station operator may quickly locate the oil filler cap and also be provided with light to help insert oil into the funnel portion 10 in the night. When the indicator housing 12 and filterV 11 are swung to the open position, light will be shown through the Yslots 46 and over the upper end `of the funnel portion The user` on the upper end of the indicator housing 12a. The rotor 51 is held in a rotatable position on the indicator housing upper end wall 53 by any suitable means, as by the rivet indicated by the numeral 54. As shown in FIG. 8, the messages concerning the type of oil to be added and so forth would be put on the dial formed by the top side of the housing wall 53. The top side of the housing wall 53 may be provided with a suitable covering, if desired, for putting the messages thereon. The rotor 5l is provided with an opening 56 for Viewing the messages on the wall 53. The rotor 51 would be set to dispose the opening 56 over the desired message. The rest of the structure of the embodiment of FIG. 8 is the same as the first described embodiment and the corresponding parts have been marked with the same reference numerals followed by the small letter a. This embodiment is further provided with additional light slots as indicated by the numeral 55. It will be understood that the embodiment of FIG. 8 is also provided with alight means which would function in the same manner as the light means of the rst embodiment. The indicator housing 12a for the embodiment lof FIG. 8 may also be made from any suitable plastic to emit light therefrom. The plastic may be tinted as desired. It will be seen that the oil filter cap of the present invention will aid the owner of a car in insuring that only the type of oil is used which he desires to be used in his vehicle. The light means will also assist the gasoline station operator in locating the filler cap in the dark. The funnel portion assists the gasoline station attendant in adding oil to the engine without spilling any on the engine.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modication, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. An oil filter cap for closing the open end of an engine oil filler pipe, comprising; a mounting portion for mounting the oil iller cap on the oil iilier pipe; and, an information indicator means carried on the mounting portion.

2. An oil filler cap for enclosing the open end of an engine ller pipe, comprising: a mounting portion for mounting the toil filler cap on the oil iiller pipe; and, an information indicator means carried on the mounting portion and being movable between closed and open positions.

3. An oil iller cap for enclosing theopen end of an engine filler pipe, comprising: a mounting portion for mounting the oil filler cap on the oil filler pipe; said mounting portion being formed in the shape of a funnel; and, an information indicator means carried on the upper end of the funnel shaped mounting portion and being movable between yopen and closed positions to permit adding of oil through the funnel shaped mounting portion into the oil ller pipe.

4. An oil tiller cap as defined in claim 3, wherein: said information indicator means comprises a housing swingably mounted on the upper end of the funnel shaped mounting portion, a rotor operatively mounted in said housing and having information data carried thereon, and said housing beng provided with an opening to permit viewing of the rotor.

5. An oil iiller cap as defined in claim 3, wherein: said information indicator means comprises a housing swingably mounted yon the upper end of the funnel shaped mounting portion, informational data carried on the outer upper end of the housing; a rotor having an opening formed therethrough rotatably mounted on the upper outer side of the housing; and, said informational data on the upper end of the housing being viewable through the opening in said rotor.

6. An oil iiller cap as deined in claim 3, including a filter detachably mounted on said information indicator means.

7. An oil filler cap as defined in claim 3, wherein: said indicator means as provided with a means for illuminating the indicator and the funnel shaped mounting portion when the indicator means is moved to the open position.

8. An oil ller cap for enclosing the open end of an engine filler pipe, comprising: a mounting portion for mounting the oil ller cap on the oil filler pipe; a housing hingedly mounted on said mounting portion; a filter detachably mounted in the lower end of said housing; and, an information indicator operatively mounted on said housing.

9. An oil filler cap as dened in claim 8, wherein: said mounting portion is formed in the shape of a funnel.

10. An oil ller cap as defined in claim 8, wherein: said housing is formed from a material adaptedV to pass light therethrough, an illuminating means is operatively mounted in said housing.

11. An oil filler cap as dened in claim 8, wherein: said information indicator includes a rotor rotatably mounted in said housing and having information data carried thereon, and said housing being provided with an opening to permit viewing of the rotor.

12. An oil iiller cap as dened in claim 8, wherein: said information indicator includes informational data carried on the outer upper end of the housing, a rotor having an opening formed therethrough rotatably mounted on the upper outer end of the housing, and said informational data is viewable through the opening in said rotor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 650,617 5/00 Salmon 222--192 1,585,562 5/26 Rylander 184-90 1,677,155 7/28 Swift i. 215--38 1,689,800 10/28 Parker 184-91 7,712,592 5/29 Tomlinson 141-338 Y 1,792,824 2/ 31 Dearborn 220-44 2,675,093 4/54 McCall et al. 220-44 LOUS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

8. AN OIL FILLER CAP FOR ENCLOSING THE OPEN END OF AN ENGINE FILLER PIPE, COMPRISING: A MOUNTING PORTION FOR MOUNTING THE OIL FILLER CAP ON THE FILLER PIPE; A HOUSING HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOUNTING PORTION; A FILLER DETACHABLY MOUNTED IN THE LOWER END OF SAID HOUSING; AND, AND INFORMATION INDICATOR OPERATIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING. 